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The UFC concluded their 2021 pay-per-view schedule with an entertaining night at UFC 269. The main event was a spectacular back-and-forth bout and the co-main event saw one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. The event was stacked from the prelims to the main card and each fight lived up to the hype.
With the 2021 pay-per-view schedule concluding, the promotion’s attention will now shift to 2022.
There are big fights on the horizon and there are many appealing options after last night’s pay-per-view. UFC President Dana White was thrilled with the event and for ending the 2021 pay-per-view schedule on a high-note. White was also in a giving mood as he gave out plenty of bonuses post-fight.
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There were 6 Performance of the Night bonuses given out, which is a record for the promotion. Charles Oliveira, Julianna Pena, Kai Kara-France, Sean O’Malley, Tai Tuivasa, and Bruno Silva were each awarded $50,000. Dominick Cruz and Pedro Munhoz were also awarded $50,000 for Fight of the Night. This list will look at 5 fights to make after UFC 269.
#5. Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz vs. Cory Sandhagen
Kicking off this list of 5 fights to make after UFC 269 is Dominick Cruz and Cory Sandhagen.
The former UFC bantamweight champion had a very entertaining bout with Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269. Cruz was in vintage form and managed to regroup after almost being dropped in the first-round and took over the fight. Cruz overcame adversity in the opening round and found success with the volume of his strikes. The judges all scored the bout 29-28 for Cruz, earning him a unanimous decision win.
With the win, Cruz now gets his name back into the title picture. Based on his performance and the UFC bantamweight rankings, a bout with Sandhagen makes a lot of sense. Cruz is on a two-fight winning streak with wins over Casey Kenney and now Munhoz. Meanwhile, Sandhagen is on a two-fight losing streak, with both losses against former UFC bantamweight champions T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan.
Sandhagen went the distance against both Dillashaw and Yan. His loss to Dillashaw was by split-decision, while the loss to Yan came via unanimous decision. Despite losing the decision, Sandhagen proved he could hold his own with the top fighters in the division. With Cruz and Sandhagen having similar fighting styles, it could make for another Fight of the Night.
#4. Sean O’Malley vs. No.5-ranked UFC bantamweight Rob Font
Another fight to make after UFC 269 is Sean O’Malley vs. Rob Font. O’Malley put on another incredible performance against Raulian Paiva, who's a more experienced opponent.
O’Malley had been criticized in the past for not fighting ranked opponents. With his impressive win over an experienced opponent, O’Malley showed that he should get a top-5 opponent next. A top-5 opponent that would make sense would be Font.
If O’Malley wants to get closer to title-contention, a win over Font would help get him there. Font is coming off a loss to Jose Aldo, but he was on a 4-fight winning streak prior to the bout. Font’s winning streak included wins over former champion Cody Garbrandt, Marlon Moraes, Ricky Simon, and current Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis.
With the current state of the bantamweight division, Font would need to find a way to stand-out. Aldo and Dillashaw will likely fight in a title-eliminator and former champion Cruz will be right back in the mix. With O’Malley being a fan-favorite, Font could benefit a lot should he defeat him as it could help him stand-out.
#3. Former interim-UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz - welterweight
A fight the UFC should make after UFC 269 is former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz. Following the main event, there were questions on what’s next for Poirier.
He was submitted by current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in the third-round after a promising start to the fight. This was Poirier’s second title opportunity after he was submitted in his previous title fight to then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
A positive for Poirer is that he has plenty of options. He could get right back at it and take on top-5-ranked lightweights and earn another title shot. Another option could be taking time off and fighting Conor McGregor for the fourth time when he’s cleared to return. Another possibility for Porier is a move to welterweight for a fight with Nate Diaz, who has one fight left on his contract.
Poirier has teased a move up in the past and, after two title-fight losses, now could be the right time.
Poirier and Diaz were originally scheduled to compete at UFC 230, however, Poirier sustained an injury and the fight was called off. A bout with Diaz could be a good way for Poirier to get an idea of how he feels at welterweight.
#2. Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes 2 – UFC champion vs. champion
After UFC 269, it’s clear that the rematch between new UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes should be booked.
Pena shocked the MMA world when she did the unthinkable and submitted Nunes in the second round. The fight started with Nunes landing powerful hooks to Pena and in a favorable position to end the first-round. However, Pena looked like a completely different fighter in the second-round. She landed combinations and turned the fight into a slugfest, which exhausted the champion.
Pena took advantage of the fatigued champion by securing a takedown and submitted her with a rear-naked choke shortly after. It was an incredible sight to see as the stunning result was one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Although Nunes lost the women’s bantamweight championship, she is still the UFC women’s featherweight champion.
Since both are champions, the rematch would be much bigger as the UFC could promote the bout as champion vs. champion. There are options for the UFC as the rematch could be contested at either bantamweight or featherweight. Nunes challenging Pena for the bantamweight championship or Pena moving up in an attempt at double-champ status both make sense.
#1. UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje
Topping this list of fights the UFC should make after UFC 269 is UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje. Oliveira had another incredible performance as he successfully defended his title for the first time. It was a crowing moment of sorts for Oliveira as he silenced the naysayers by submitting Poirier. After the main event, it was all but confirmed that Justin Gaethje would be getting the next title shot.
Oliveira vs. Gaethje has the makings of being another entertaining bout. The champion currently holds the record for most finishes in UFC history, which he added to at UFC 269. Gaethje on the other hand, has knockout ability and some of the most vicious striking in MMA.
It’ll be interesting to see how Oliveira deals with Gaethje’s striking compared to how he handled Michael Chandler and Poirier. Gaethje is coming off a unanimous decision win over Chandler, which saw him land a flurry of significant strikes.
Oliveira is looking to further cement his legacy in the lightweight division and a win over Gaethje would do just that. ‘Do Bronx’ is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak and is improving in every fight.
